Working together...

Sally Holmes Roses

I've been working really hard these last days, trying to reclaim gentle control over my messy garden. Co-operation is in both our interests. I'm happy looking at pretty things. My garden is happy when it's looked after and nurtured. This should be a win-win situation, us two working together in blessed harmony.

A rocky relationship...

Our relationship was really rocky throughout February, and we got off to a bad start in March (too many hot days, too much wind). But now the autumn light is softer and much more forgiving, and I'm doing the traditional autumn perennials trim, as well as continuing to clean up the water race ferns. I can fill a trailer as quickly as blink.

There is much old foliage, tree branches, and so on, which I will soon be able to burn. And piles and piles of gum tree leaves. Aargh! The autumn bonfire. Not one of my favourite garden tasks. Pretty soon that will be the order of each day, when the fire ban is lifted.

Seeds of Atriplex

Actually, there are some very pretty flowery things happening. The blue Salvia uligosas are in flower, as are lots of roses. All the ones I rudely dug up and shifted into The Hump have survived, and are sprouting. The collection of small flowering shrubs that my horse manure lady gave me are going really, really well.

This trim of flowering perennials is quite a task. Many big Gunnera leaves are getting more and more scruffy and weather-beaten, so I've started to trim and prune them as well. The joys of the autumn garden, I guess. But I wouldn't really have it any other way - though I could do with some Non-Gardening Partner help, hee hee.

So I just keep on filling the trailer with mess and dumping it on the fence-line, then starting all over again. The essence of real autumn gardening, I suppose. I can do this! And stay cheerful? Hmm...